Understanding and Reducing Deaths in Custody: Final Research Report

• NCJ Number: 310060
• Date Published: January 2025
• Length: 10 pages
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Abstract

This report to Congress titled Understanding and Reducing Deaths in Custody: Final Summary Report was created as a final step to fulfill the statutory study requirement under The Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) of 2013. The Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP’s) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) commissioned a study conducted by RTI International to advance knowledge and understanding of deaths in custody and to develop recommendations that support efforts to prevent and reduce such deaths. DCRA of 2013 requires the Attorney General to conduct a study and submit a report to Congress using the information reported by the states and federal law enforcement agencies to “(A) determine means by which such information can be used to reduce the number of such deaths, and (B) examine the relationship, if any, between the number of such deaths and the actions of management of such jails, prisons, and other specified facilities relating to such deaths.” NIJ, in coordination with OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), commissioned two studies to collectively respond to the DCRA study requirement. NIJ contracted with RTI International for the second, broader three-year study involving a national-level review and analysis of policies, practices (including management practices), and available data addressing deaths in custody, along with in-depth case studies of multiple sites and agency types. This final report briefly summarizes key findings and recommendations from the national-level review, case studies conducted with ten criminal justice agencies, and an analysis of DCRA data collected by BJA between 2020 and 2023. The report addresses the prevalence, scope, and incident characteristics associated with these deaths, describes policies, programs, and practices that practitioners engage in to prevent or reduce deaths in custody, and provides recommendations to increase safety and reduce deaths based on existing evidence.